I usually don't rate restaurants hours after eating, but I need to save some Yelpers money. I ordered the Camarones Diablos. It was pure disappointment. Usually Camarones Diablos at authentic Mexican places involve spice (in the form of a sauce). This was not Camarones Diablos -- it was a fancier presentation of fajitas. This costs $26 -- please do not order this, it is not worth $26 to get 6 pieces of shrimp that have been seasoned with salt and black pepper. I really hope management considers removing this item from the menu or renames this item -- it is not correctly named. I am more than happy to pay for good food, but this is almost offensive at how spicy it is not. Service was fine, the rating does not reflect the waitress's service. She was great! read more

Uncle Julio's - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

We used to love this place, a lot has changed unfortunately not for the better. We went recently after a hiatus at 6:30pm on a Saturday, the restaurant was not busy and dinner rush had not started yet. We asked for a booth and were told that non were available even though we saw that two were open, not reserved etc. just dirty plates that were needing to be cleared from the table. The dirty plates sat for awhile until they finally bussed the booths and then people who came in after us were given the booths we asked for. We were sat instead right next to the bathroom entrance even though there were plenty of other open tables. We were hungry from a long road trip and wanted to get some of our favorites from when we used to live near by and came more often. The server was friendly but forgot to bring us a few things we asked for. Our water pitcher was empty for a long time as we were thirsty from the drive and drank it pretty quickly. We ordered the veggie fajitas and the crab and shrimp enchiladas, a swirl and the spicy margarita on ice. The food took awhile but when the it came out it was so disappointing just from looking at it even before we even tried it. The enchiladas were very small the size of a cigar and looked like the rice and small salad were just tossed on the plate with no care or love of cooking. The fajitas were even worse. It didn't come out on the larger oval fajita skillet as once before but a very small circle skillet that looked like it was off the children's menu. The plate was cold and no sizzle at all like it had been sitting at the pass for a long time were it turned cold. There was literally three small pieces of mushrooms, two small pieces of zucchini, some onions and a jalapeño, that's it!! the small plate of rice and beans were cold and rice undercooked! These very sad and extremely disappointing dishes cost $23 for the veggies fajitas and the crab and shrimp enchiladas were $24. Please look at the photos they have up on their website and see that it doesn't even come close to representing what actually comes out of this kitchen and Bethesda location for this chain restaurant. Any chef, cook, manager or server that actual cared at all should be able to see how unappetizing the food looked and shameful the portions are considering how much you're charging for it! On top of all this the spicy margarita was watered down and had no taste and the swirl was violently sweet. We are not the type to complain or send things back, we write positive reviews whenever possible about places to give kudos/respect to things well executed with love and care and just make mental notes to not go back to the very disappointing places and experiences but this was such a great place once but this recent return visit after awhile was so disappointing and unsatisfying that we had to write this review. There are so many better places for Tex-Mex that charge the same or less for so much better food and overall experience. This place used to be one of our favorites but we will not be going back and spending our hard earned money there. There's too many other better options for great Tex-Mex around now! To any owner or general manager who might read this review, you all can and used to execute so much better. Please take a good hard look at what you all are currently and unfortunately doing... read more

What a disaster. We had reservations for 6:15pm. The restaurant was barely busy when we arrived. Nothing crazy by any means. Based on how slow the service was, you'd think this place was packed. It wasn't. A few things that annoyed us during our visit: -took server 10 minutes to come to our table to introduce himself -took 10 minutes to get water. Keep in mind we were eventually given chips and salsa. Eating that without water to start? -Chips and queso took 40 minutes -server frequently MIA. Everytime he came by we had like 5 requests because he would disappear for 15 minutes at a time -water glass was dirty. Sent back sprite but never got one in return -multiple missing food items in entree orders -server had issue running credit card -server dropped off card and check and ran away. He did not say thank you, he did not say have a goodnight. Just left the check and got out of there as quickly as possible -double charged for a food item The only reason it's not one star is because the food was pretty decent. I wasn't blown away but it wasn't bad. Def not coming back to this location ever again. BEWARE!!! read more

We really enjoyed our dinner here. While we didn't make any reservations for our Friday night visit, the staff seated us promptly, and beverages arrived quickly. We both picked items off the specials menu. The Carnitas Fajitas (pictured) had a light honey glaze, which offered a light touch of sweetness to a rather savory dish. The flour tortillas were plentiful and soft, and the beans, rice, sour cream, and guacamole were in ample supply. I wish there were Pico de gallo to help further break up the big portion of meat at fats, but the overall portion was large, and we ended up taking half of each entrée home for later consumption. Good food and good service. Overall, a good experience. AmEx is accepted here. read more

Uncle Julio's - Strawberry Hibiscus Margarita - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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Can you say slooowww service. Wow I almost fell asleep here. We ordered the fajitas. For two and they were$45 bucks so anyways they brought them out and there were lots of onions but hardly any peppers. So we told mark our waiter and he brought us some out and I'll be damned, they put them on our check. This is not very nice customer satisfaction to me. The dinner was good and tasted ok but oh my god. 2 is all this place rates with me. Will not be returning here. read more

Uncle Julio's - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

i was looking for a place outside to meet my friend and uncle julios is a relaxed place that has an outside section so went here. overall it was decent complimentary chips and salsa were given and they were decent quality chips and salsa. we ordered the guacamole which was alright and for main we ordered the chicken fajitas and the fresca salad both came out really quickly - both big portion with decent flavor read more

Uncle Julio's - chicken fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Wife and I stopped here for dinner, good located near a big garage only a half block away. The restaurant is big inside with plenty of seating, since we had a reservation we didn't have to wait, but there was plenty of open seating available. The waiter was very friendly and answered any questions we had. Our drinks arrived very fast, and our meals came within 10 minutes of ordering. I had the Carnitas Fajitas and it was delicious the bbq flavor of the pulled pork with the grilled onions was excellent, although they could give you a bit more fixing to accommodate the fajita. Myvwife had the crunchy chicken tacos and really liked it. There were quite a few young kids running around, but we enjoyed the overall experience. read more

Uncle Julio's - Carnita Fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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Prepare yourself to be amazed. How in the world can this place be so busy and the food so absolutely tasteless. Hands down the worst Tex-Mex food I've ever had. I'm serious. You need to work very hard to kill all ingredients and dishes. EXPENSIVE as well! Big mistake going here. Service was pretty bad as well. Eye rolls when we asked for water. read more

Uncle Julio's - Uncle Julio's in Bethesda - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

For years we order the Famous Fajitas with beef for two. They're expensive at $52 + tax. The beef is good. However, maybe it's cost cutting: The sauteed peppers and onions, see photo, the onions are raw and there was exactly one piece of green pepper. The sides - guacamole, sour cream, cheese they used to come each in its own container which was reasonable. Now all three come in a very small container smashed together and 75% of it is sour cream. They don't give you enough tortillas so now you have to order and pay for more. Uncle Julio's, why are you getting chintzy with the fajita sides and tortillas? read more

Overall the experience was great. It's my second time coming here. The only complaint is the food tastes a bit too salty depending on your dish. read more

Uncle Julio's - Camarones Diablo - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

I absolutely love here. Their food is pretty good. They have classic Mexican dishes, they give chips and salsa before you order- super fun. I absolutely love their margaritas. They have so many different flavors and there's a good amount of liquor in it! I always get the lucky horseshoe. There's also a good amount of salt on them... I'd totally recommend here for drinks and food! read more

Uncle Julio's - Love their margaritas! - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

People are harsh here on yelp jeez. This place is always our go-to lunch place for work because it's across the street from the parking garage and the lunch menu is pretty good. I've never had dinner here so this review is just lunch. I came here multiple times already and enjoyed all my experience. The biggest problem I encounter is service. The service is slow when there is a lot of people at the same time. Our server was really slow in getting orders and getting our food to us. The food however is good in my opinion. I got the fajitas from the lunch menu which is a lot in the lunch potion so you will get decent amount of food for your money. Drinks here are good too especially for happy hour! I will come back here again for the convenience and the quality of food is good. read more

Uncle Julio's - Chicken and steak fajita lunch menu - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

My family and I love the steak fajitas ... and usually order multiple double portions (For Two option) when visiting.  The meat is always tender and juicy ... the various sides are fresh ... and then you wrap it all up in their warm, house made flour tortilla's (which are so delicious you can eat it them by themselves) ... YUM!!! Of course, before you even get to your meal, you need to hold yourself back from devouring several bowls of free, fresh made chips with their chipotle salsa.  Trust me, you need a lot of will power. The atmosphere is loud and vibrant ... and a lot of fun for everyone. Enjoy! read more

Decided to celebrate ME, for an early Mother's Day I took my self on a date at Uncle Julio's Bethesda . I Had the pleasure of meeting Server Will , such a great Server, as I know the Industry I love to go experience restaurants often to see the other side of my everyday life working also at a restaurant. - Server wise , (you need more Will ' s in the restaurant). Touched table the times he was supposed to , his hospitality was good and beyond. - Food : great , I had the Quadalajara dish, delicious. - Ambience : Good . - Food runner was bringing more food to my table she didn't know where the food was going , I wanted to take it but sadly it wasn't mine lol :) - host wise : the adult short lady was amazing , even touched table checking if I needed anything , however the young lady one had a missing smile on her face the entire time I was at the restaurant , when I got to the host stand waited for her , No eye contact when talking ... poor spirit on welcoming guest ..... Other than that I love going to Uncle Julio's Bethesda Location. I will for sure ask for Server Will next time I go there. #appreciatewhatfeedsyourpocket . read more

Too expensive for what is provided. I ordered three beef fajita meals for lunch and it was $144 with extra chips and salsa. Also, there is a service fee applied to take out orders. I have frequent this restaurant for 35 years, but I will no longer. read more

Change of ownership did it. What a disappointment. I was there a couple of years ago everything was perfect. But now, wow, the food is so bad, and the drinks not to mention. This is how you lose customers.. forgot Churros were served burnt and cold. read more

What happened to this restaurant. Arrives at 8:30 on a Saturday. Not bu St unlike in the past. Decided to eat in the bar area as the dining room was very loud. Seven empty tables, none of them bussed. We helped clean the table after waiting several minutes. Sat down and waited 10 minutes to be approached, long enough for me to almost order from the bar. Ordered drinks which came about 10 minutes later. Ordered food of which half came out timely but we had no setups or plates. Asked the bartender for silverware and napkins. Finally received plates and then the rest of our food after that. Finished our meal and waiter 10-15 minutes before being approached again. No plates were ever cleared. Asked for check as we were quite done. No bus service seen the entire night nor any sign of a manager. Severely under-staffed and not managed. QUITE A BIZARRE EVENING DUE TO AWFUL SERVICE. Doubt we will go back. read more

I wish uncle Julio's disclosed where they get their food from so there is more transparency about what we were actually eating. I came here last night with my partner to have dinner for taco Tuesday. Our server had incredible service and he was so kind because the bar was backed up during happy hour time. We ordered the Birria quesadilla/tacos and a taco plate. To be honest the food needed more seasoning. The food and drinks were just ok. read more

Uncle Julio's - Post-Birria tacos & chips - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

The service is horrible and slow. It's unfortunate they charge the prices they do and the food is mediocre at best. Even the chips taste like stale oil. Really disappointing. Update reply: thank you for reaching out. I do not retain food receipts but I have all the dates and amounts where we paid with our credit card. We kept trying in hopes it was an off day, but sadly it was consistently less than favorable. If you provide your name and contact in, I am happy to call with the information read more

Before stepping foot in this particular Uncle Julio's, I wondered why the star rating was so low. Surely it must be wrong, because we were told by our server that the food and drinks are made from scratch and authentic. Plus, the service we received was really great. Well, we would soon find out why I too am now a believer as to why I think it's a three star establishment. We came on a Saturday afternoon for drinks and dinner and apparently it was the perfect time because it wasn't too crowded. By the time we left, it was PACKED!! Like, standing out the door - people everywhere, PACKED! It was also extremely loud! The layout of the restaurant is horrible because it almost traps the noise and it just bounces off the walls and never escapes. We found ourselves yelling across the table at one another. I can't deny the noise was a huge negative factor of our dining experience. Between the screaming kids and the extremely loud conversations/nosies, it was hard to enjoy ourselves. Good thing we sat in the back, it wasn't as noisy. Heaven help the people in the front, not sure how they were able to even function. They were sitting on top of each other. For drinks, I of course HAD to order the -321 degree margarita, made from scratch table-side. Best decision I made all night! It's full of flavor, fresh fruit and of course we got a kick out of breathing the "smoke" out of our noses/mouth from the nitrogen induced berries we ate. My dinning companion ordered the Blackberry Margarita, which was also very delish! For appetizers we ordered the guacamole and queso combo. They were both average, at best. Our entrees consisted of the chicken enchiladas for me and the beef enchiladas for my dining companion. They both came with rice and beans. The food was tasty and filling, but to be honest, I've had better. One of my Yelp friends said to come for the food, not for the drinks. I disagree. I think it's the other way around, come for the drinks and not necessarily for the food. I would also come during a less busy time, to avoid the trapped box of noise. PS...street parking is available, but a parking garage is about a block away from the restaurant. It accepts coins for the metered parking. read more

So the food is great. But man the hostess stand service is horrible. HORRIBLE! Checked in for a party of four. Was told that the fastest time was for outside because they had no tables available. Here is a picure of the "no tables available." Then she said its because we are understaffed. Meanwhile, and I kid you not, there were 6 servers hovering around the host stand doing nothing and we had two servers helping us when we sat down. read more

Uncle Julio's - Empty tables at Uncle Julios. - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Came here for drinks after yoga class and I felt like the drink were decent. The service was okay and the ambiance was decent too. I got the fresh squeezed grapefruit margarita. The margarita was tart and they put a huge slice of grapefruit as garnish. My friend got the frozen margarita. I felt like it did not taste that great. I would stick to the regular margaritas. They give you free chips and dip, so it was perfect to munch on as we drank our drinks. There was a bug in my water cup, but when I asked for a new water, the waiter was apologetic and quickly got me a new water cup. All in all, a convenient location to get drinks on a weekday. read more

Don't bother horrible service and food is blah. Chips and quac are good but not worth it at all.

Huge fan of this chain. I've been coming here for years. This location is always packed with all the corporate offices and apartments across the street. I always go for the large swirlys or small one with a shot. Food wise you can't go wrong with any of their tacos, fajitas or fresh guacamole. I do wish their happy hour menu was not limited. You only get $2-3 off drinks between 430-7. Overall this is a great place for some drinks after work or Tex Mex with the family. If you do come here around 6 expect a long wait. read more

Uncle Julio's - Drink menu 03/2018 - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Great Mexican restaurant in the heart of Bethesda. Expect the expected: typical Mexican dishes, served fresh and hot. We have now been there twice and it's been great both times. Our girls (10 and 12) love it. Especially the virgin margaritas made fresh at the table with a Harry Potter kick: the fresh fruit gets frozen with Hydrogen, creating a foggy spectacle right at your table side. Oh by the way, the non-virgin margaritas are also delicious. Family fun for all, we will be back! read more

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I haven't been to Uncle Julio's for quite some time (basically because I always felt that there were better, family-owned Mexican options in the area), but decided to check it out now that they've remodeled their space. The interior is vastly improved - gone is the gaudy décor in favor of a more upscale-feeling space, with a 'Spanish-modern' bar and more comfortable seating. While the front of the house definitely looks much better, the back of the house is the same as before, turning out okay (but not great) dishes, nothing particularly special that warrants dealing with parking in the Bethesda Row area. The other thing I noticed is that the price point has significantly increased, which is a little odd when the kitchen hasn't upped its game. (Guess you gotta pay for the renovation somehow.) Also, if you're going to charge more, Uncle Julio should be upping his service game and shouldn't be handing their guests electronic devices for them to process their own charges at the end of the meal - that's just downright tacky. So, a Disney-esque experience - all style, no substance. Two stars. read more

Uncle Julio's - Chicken nachos - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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This is a solid Tex-Mex restaurant in Bethesda row. I really like their margaritas, especially the watermelon margaritas. The chips and salsa that comes with your meal are some of the best chips and salsa I've had. I would say their food is good but I mostly come here since it's conveniently located in Bethesda. They have a lot of seating and it's a fun atmosphere here. read more

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It's so depressing watching your all time favorite restaurant turn into a laughing stock among family and friends. But that's what's happened to Uncle Julios. We have all loved Rio since we grew up in Bethesda 40+ years ago. We've brought new generations of kids here. It's our meeting spot for birthday, holidays, you name it. But ever since new management took over around 10-12 years ago, it has steadily become one of the worst restaurants in all of DC area. It's an absolute joke now. The reviews reflect that. Last week I ordered fajitas. The most expensive in the area, mind you. Their management has decided to no longer give you beans, rice, pico, or lettuce with the fajitas. What respectable Tex Mex restaurant does that? The guac is a tiny portion and often not fresh and green, but room temperature and brown. It's just gross. They've made terrible decision with their menu, like taking away the very popular salsa verde on the enchiladas, removing the Juanita's platter, and imposing strange restrictions on reservations for a group. It's so disappointing and now my friends and family don't want to go there anymore. It's hard to argue with them. Rio is just another dump now. It won't last much longer as they continue down this path while losing lifelong customers like us. It's a shame. read more

Looks to be very popular, but not with our family. Grandson's chicken tenders were just so so. My grilled fish tacos were pretty uninteresting, & the fish had an "off" taste. Hubby & son got skirt steak fajitas which were fairly tasteless, and the steak had a soft texture. Maybe an odd night, but we'll likely not be returning any time soon. If you like chunky guacamole and unsalted chips that tasted like lard, you'll like this restaurant. read more

Consistently the worst restaurant in Montgomery County. A once great restaurant has fallen completely down the drain. With weak management and a worthless wait staff you will be waiting 5 hours for a simple fajita dish. The kicker? The drinks are weak! DO NOT GO HERE EVER. A WASTE OF TIME MONEY AND RESOURCES. read more

Omg it is SO LOUD!!!!!! Truly unpleasant and headache inducing. Thumping bad music and everyone yelling at their tables to try and be heard over it. Service okay. Food good. read more

I've been coming to Bethesda UJ's for years. Food and drink is always consistent and very good. I typically sit at the bar to yuck it up with the bartenders. Anthony has served me many times and I always appreciate chatting with him. read more

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Uncle Julio's has really gone down hill. We used to love coming here as a family, but slowly they have changed things for the worse. You now pay an extra $10 for your rice and beans and the rice has been totally changed and not in a good way the taste is really lacking. The tortillas have now changed also and taste like store bought ones. You can really see the cost cutting measures they are taking but it's going to turn off a lot of their customers from coming back. read more

Have a delivery on their website. The confirmation and emails all come from "Uncle Julios" with no third party identified. Delivery is cancelled over email after an hour and it says to call them. I call, and no one on the phone understands how their delivery sytem works, and they are rude on top of that. read more

Uncle Julio's - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Food is 4 stars. The "TableSafe" electronic checkout device is disgusting. Waiters and all of the diners touch these disgusting things. They left it on the table and noone cleaned it up. I guess they were just waiting for us to leave instead of considering we might want to stay and chat without looking at dirty plates. Would have loved to leave a bigger tip but there was no service, other than being brought drinks (had to ask busboy for water because or server didn't bring any, even after we asked.) These unhygienic devices ruin the dining experience and make servers lazy. Having to run my own card and touch these nasty devices is not a fun way to end a meal! read more

Uncle Julio's - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Terrible experience placing a takeout order. The app said the order was ready an hour ago but now I'm still waiting here for my order and nothing. This needs to stop I don't want to stand around for an hour just to receive my order like come on. read more

Always a 5 star! We had a lovely waitress Courtney who was so attentive. We mentioned that we were celebrating and she brought over a scoop of ice cream w congrats written in fudge on her own volition !!!! Made my day. Chips and salsa are always consistent. Ceviche Fresca is absolutely delicious, always! Quesadilla is also very tasty. Love uncle Julio's! Thank you!! read more

Uncle Julio's - Our lovely waitress! - Mexican Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Had a group event for my daughter's 18th birthday party yesterday. The bad: Was told when I arrived to restaurant, the event didn't start until 6:30pm. The event time was from 6-8pm. No dedicated server/host for our event- restaurant understaffed. Tables were not ready (no place setting, not enough chairs) Fajitas were supposed to be served family style but came out as individual plates instead Fajitas did not come out sizzling, appeared to have been sitting around; temperature lukewarm Chicken was very bland and tasteless; no flavor Tortillas didn't come out with fajitas at the same time; it took at 10 minutes and guests waited for tortillas so food was getting colder by the minute Churros arrived very, very late over 30 minutes after event ended. I had to remind the manager and the server to bring it out. When it was being expedited it went to another table instead of ours. The ratio of churros to the group was inadequate. Manager was very nice but overwhelmed with lack of staffing, inexperienced servers, takeout orders, high volume of dining Didn't sing happy birthday The good: Accommodated the request for guac (no tomatoes) and vegetarian fajitas Manager and server were professional and personable Chips, guac, queso, beef tasted very good Bottom line: Poorly executed No dedicated servers to our event Overwhelmed and confused staff If a business is unable to accommodate events, it's best to not make it available. Otherwise the results are poor and unprepared and chaotic. By the way this event was planned through the corporate office not this specific restaurant. read more

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STAY AWAY from anything with pork here. Experienced terrible FOOD POISONING from the carnitas tacos.

RACIST!!! I came into the restaurant and waited for the host/hostess and no one came, eventually someone came over to the host station and said "hello" but was muffled at the time due to his mask so i said "pardon?" and then he proceeded to say "ni hao" AND "Kon'nichiwa" in an Asian accent and I didn't realize what he said until I sat down at the booth. Im filipino and was not wearing anything indicating im Chinese OR Japanese so what this man said is beyond me.. please don't come here and give these racists your money. Never coming back AGAIN ! If you plan on coming here, reconsider. The server or whoever is about 5"4' skin fade on the sides and has a man bun sort of. read more